Time to start thinking about hot-weather activities

If you're like me you are ready for flip flops and sunshine. Heading into late-April, it's time to start thinking about your summer bucket list. It's that time of the year where I am anxiously awaiting summer and all the great activities that come along with it. There is so much to choose from: fishing, hiking, biking, boating, and more.

I like to make a bucket list to ensure I accomplish what I am looking to do each summer; the season is short, and we have to make sure we enjoy it while it lasts! So far, I have three must-do items (although I'm sure the list will keep growing and growing!)

Warrior Run

With a new course location this summer, the Warrior Run is at the top of my bucket list. It is new and improved along 4 miles of the Benzce family property. It will be full of new and exciting obstacles I can’t wait to conquer. I am anxious, and maybe a little nervous to see what ideas the crew is coming up with for obstacles this year. Every year there seems to be something new, making each year memorable.

This year's course starts and finishes at Raquette River Brewery. Spending the day splashing through mud and tackling obstacles, then finishing at a local brewery sounds like a perfect Adirondack summer day to me. Ending at Raquette River Brewery is exactly what all participants are going to need after climbing up and over walls, swinging through tires, and trucking through waist-deep mud.

After the race, rinse off, and enjoy an afternoon of local craft beer, good food, and live music at the brewery. The 2017 Warrior Run is an event I do not want to miss this summer.

Sunrise at the top of Coney Mtn (Photo Courtesy of Ted Merrihew)

The Tupper Triad - at sunrise

Completing the Tupper Lake Triad is a feat in itself, but completing it at sunrise? That is an even larger challenge — for me at least. Nobody has ever seen me on a trail in the early morning. I have completed the Triad multiple times, in both the summer and winter. However, I have never hiked up Coney, Arab, or Goodman to see the sunrise.

I have heard nothing but great things from people who have experienced this, and I have decided to tackle the three mountains, at sunrise, this summer. All three have spectacular views in the early morning; ones worth getting out of bed for.

The hikes are quick enough that they could be done with time to get to work afterwards, while still saving some time for yourself at the top to take in the amazing views. Grab your travel mug and get to the trailhead; I can’t think of a better spot to have my morning coffee, than at the top of one of these mountains. I just have to remember to set my alarm!

I have my life jacket on and am ready to go, but my feet are numb

Get up on one ski

Now that the snow is gone, I'm ready to dust off the skis! That is, I can't wait to break out the water skis. The only thing in my way? Icy mountain water - but that will be warming up soon enough!

I have water skied since I was a child, but have only tried getting up on one ski once. It didn't go as planned, and I ended doing a very graceful nose dive, losing the ski, and gaining some sore muscles. I haven't tried since. This summer, I am ready to get back at it and try again.

Dropping a ski is one thing, but starting out and getting up on one ski is a concept that I haven't mastered yet. Water skiing is the sport of the summer; you can’t go up and down Tupper Lake on a beautiful day without seeing boats out towing skiers. Some will be on two skis, some dropping one, and the experts will be jumping the wake and slalom skiing through courses. I’m not quite ready for slalom skiing, but I do want to master getting up on one ski this summer. It will take some practice, and probably a lot of falling, but if being on the boat and taking in the sunshine are what I need to deal with to conquer my goal, I think I can live with that.

Planning Ahead...

My ultimate bucket list item is to take advantage of the awesome surroundings waiting outside my door. Whether that means hiking a mountain before work, going for a long bike trip on a weekend, or finding a secluded camping spot to get away to, I'm ready. Summer passes by quickly and if I don't hold myself accountable, I will be heading into another long winter wishing I would have taken more advantage of the summer weather. I am ready to see how many activities I can cram in before the leaves fall!